The U.S. Ambassador to China and the U.S. Secretary of Defense have each announced to the world that the U.S. is neutral on the island dispute between China and Japan over who has sovereignty over the Islands.
Quote from Indian Newspaper Sina - linked immediately below wrote:US ambassador to China Gary Locke said Washington is neutral on recent territorial disputes between China and Japan while attending a forum in D.C.
http://english.sina.com/video/2012/0914/506595.html
Quotes from Washington Beacon article linked below wrote:Panetta told reporters..., “The United States does not take a position with regards to territorial disputes.”
Panetta ( U.S. Defense Secretary ) repeated the U.S. position that it is neutral in the dispute over Japan’s Senkaku islands, a small chain of islets located south of Okinawa and north of Taiwan. But he also reaffirmed the U.S. defense commitment to Japan, a treaty ally.
http://freebeacon.com/chinese-general-p ... or-combat/